


The Cross of Changes

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Stephen Strange Bingo Collection [21]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Gen, Hurt Stephen Strange, Muteness, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 17:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20696987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: Stephen was not supposed to come to them quite as lost and broken as he was, she knew, but she would work with what she got. She could manipulate events, allow them a little bit more time together before the inevitable.(Stephen arrives in Kamar-Taj in even worse condition than he was supposed to. The Ancient One decides to bent time and destiny to the maximum to give him as much of a fighting chance as possible.)





	The Cross of Changes

**Author's Note:**

> _hiya! i saw that "mute"! stephen prompt, and i was wondering if you could write a gen fic between stephen and the ancient one, where stephen is actually mute?_
> 
> I can and I hope you like what I did here. 💞 The relationship between Stephen and TAO intrigues me a lot and it's so sad that they only had so little time together. In this reality, while the end is inevitable, she will take steps to correct that. Title by Enigma.
> 
> @stephenstrangebingo: _Magic Lesson_ | @badthingshappenbingo: _Don't You Dare Pity Me_

"He'll be a good student."

Stephen tried to appear sleeping but the compliment made him smile. Finally, someone who didn't pity him but still saw something worthwhile. He turned his face into the pillow to hide his expression.

"He can't _talk_. And his hands are broken so he can't even write us his name. That's going to be a problem sooner rather than later."

"Don't be so fatalistic, Karl. He has great potential."

"Maybe." The guy sounded dubious. "As soon as he's well you mean."

"Of course. He'll need some time to heal and learn to trust us."

The words reminded him once again of the deep ache in his back where he'd been kicked by one of his muggers and the burning pain of the cut on the palm of his left hand where he'd tried to defend himself against a knife attack. If this Mordo hadn't found him in time…

"We'll let him rest now. Tomorrow will be soon enough to start."

"Start with what?"

There was a short giggle that didn't seem to fit with the mental image Stephen had of the Lady who called herself 'The Ancient One'. "Learning to communicate with him, of course! It will be good for us, too, I think. Something new and exciting to brighten our days."

There was some noise as the Mordo guy left. A moment later there was a gentle touch on his head. "Sleep well, my friend. We'll sort it all out tomorrow." A feeling of warmth engulfed him - Magic? - and he felt himself slip away into sleep.

*

"Hello again." She smiled at him, free of judgement and obviously delighted to have him here, and for the first time since the accident Stephen didn't feel like a freak. "You already know me but now I want know about you. What's your name?"

She didn't sound condescending but Stephen still held his shaking hands up for a moment before he touched his throat and shook his head. His voice had been destroyed by a piece of wreckage that sliced his throat. Sometimes, he thought that he was lucky to have survived. Most of the time he wished that he'd just bled to death in remains of his car. She smiled in answer and looked at the sand between them, the invitation clear.

It was embarrassing but he was here to seek help so he had to bite into the bitter apple first. He'd learned humility since losing his voice along with most of the use of his hands but that didn't mean he still felt shame when he was reminded about his new limitations over and over again. He gritted his teeth and began to slowly and carefully trace an "S" in the sand, followed by the rest. He left out his title and last name for the time being. Maybe later, when his hands weren't on fire anymore. He'd learned the hard way how nobody respected his achievements, now that he couldn't announce them loud and clear anymore.

"Stephen," she repeated softly and smiled once again. "It's good to have a name for the face. Let's begin. I'll show you something and you try to recreate it in the sand. You won't be doing magic until your hands are a little bit more steady but this will be a great exercise to strengthen them. After that I'll show you the library and you get to meet Wong. You'll get along great, he's not a man of many words either." Another smile, this time a mischievous one, even before Stephen could even _think_ about protesting. "He will not annoy you with endless questions," she added. "It will also give you an advantage when you enter normal classes. I have a bet with Karl to win and I'm determined to do so."

It was the first time in far too long that he was treated like a normal person and someone just wanted to help him learn without being condescending about it. He watched in awe as she sketched a sigil in the air that began to glow orange the moment it was completed. After a moment it turned around once so that Stephen could study it from each side before it sank down into the sand and faded away.

She held out her hand and after a moment Stephen put his trembling one into hers. His left one was bandaged and even more useless than before. She gently and carefully felt her away around his wrist, leaving his swollen and scarred fingers alone. The look she gave him was full of compassion but without any trace of pity. "And now you. Try to do the same. Don't worry if it's shaky, we all start like that. It all comes down to training and determination." She gently guided his right hand down into the sand and let go. "I think you have a lot of that or you wouldn't have found your way here."

Stephen couldn't stand the piercing look, that seemed to see right through his defenses and into the depths of his soul, any longer. He put his right hand onto the sand again, trying to get a feel for it with his damaged fingers.

_No more pity_, he promised himself. He would show them all what he could do, even without a voice to shout for attention. He would get it by being damn good, not by being loud. 

After a minute or so he began with his first, shaky line.

Magic. Was going to learn fucking _magic_.

*

Stephen didn't even notice the smile that appeared on his face as he recreated his first warding symbol. The Ancient One did and smiled back when she gently took his wrist to lead his hand into the next set of movements, subtly guiding his wrist into another, less painful position. 

Stephen was not supposed to come to them quite as lost and broken as he was, she knew, but she would work with what she got. She could manipulate events, allow them a little bit more time together before the inevitable.

She looked forward to spending time with Stephen, had so since the moment she first saw him while spying into her own personal future. She would keep him close and prepare him for his future duties better than her alternate self, she promised herself. By putting him together with Wong soon he would find a true friend much earlier - which would made him much less vulnerable to temptation in the future. Maybe, just maybe, she could even arrange that Karl not only became but stayed a valued friend and ally instead of a hesitant enemy.

_I'll give you everything I can offer, I promise you that, Stephen Strange._

"Very good," she said out loud. "Once again, this time without me." She folded her hands in her lap and watched him trace lines in the sand over and over again.

Yes, she was going to do right by him this time. The beautiful, bright star sitting on the other side of the sand basin deserved nothing less than the very best she could offer him.

**Author's Note:**

> This was proof to myself that I can still write good old gen. But never fear, I'll return to Ironstrange soon. Thank you for reading!
> 
> (Edited to add that this has now a sequel: [Morphing Through Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22861237/chapters/54639901).)


End file.
